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In less than two mifiutes this was done, and all four
were ready to enter the opening.
VVith Van at their head they pushed inside.
It was as dark as the grave itself, and they felt the
need of a torch to light them on their way through the
unknown place.
Dr Pestle had enough oil left in a bottle to saturate a
piece of his coat, and when this was twisted into a com-
pact mass it was lighted.
The doctor walked by the side of Van. with his im-
provised torch, which served its purpose well enough.
‘Nhen they had traversed a distance‘ of probably two
hundred yards, they found they did not need any light.
Before them they beheld a vast cavern of a circular
shape.
In many places upon the ground small fires were burn-
ing, and these furnished enough liglit for them to see
where they were going. Around the fires could be seen
groups of the dwarfs, who were. by the way, the strangest
people any of our friends had ever seen.
,They wore short skirts. which seemed to be made of
some sort of leather. the rest of their bodies being bare.
The tallest of them could not have been over three
feet six inches in lieiglit. but they seeuxed to he very
p(3".“t-’I‘it1l. for all that.
Bows and arrows and clubs were the only weapons they
possessed. an<l as Van and his three companions gazed
upon them from their point of observation. they reckoned
’.h:‘t they could clean out the place if they tried very
hard.
llrt they were doomed to be badly mistaken in their
idea.
The dwarfs. who were a race of cave dwellers, sup
posed by the world at large to be extinct. were about
as bloodthirsty and determined as any savage who ever
drew the breath of life.
Van had just siiggestecl that they move forward to
tux and find their two missing friends, when they were
startled to hear the sound of footsteps approaching from
the way they entered the place.
They had scarcely turned around when they beheld
Doc Clancy and his partner running toward them with
all their might, a perfect horde of the dwarfs at their
heels.
CHAPTER XII.
A HORRIBLE FATE.
lVe must now tum our attention to lack Howard and
the boy, Joe, and see what became of them.
The pair were half stunned from the fall from their
horses. and before they could collect their scattered senses
they had a vague idea of being picked up and carried
away.
Jack was the first to recover the full use of his faculties.
and when he did so he found liiiuself iii Stygian dark-
noes.
A dozen pairs of arms were claspml about his body, it
see-merl. and he was being whisked swiftly along in a
direction that was unknown to him.
Neither he nor Joe had as yet seen what sort of looking
fellows: their captors were. so, of course, they had not
the remotest idea as to who were carrying them off.
savages and run for it "
BRAVE AND BOLD.
Jack heard a series of (loglike noises all around him,
and he came to the conclusion that it must be a gang of
some mysterious animals who were carrying him to
their den.
The brave young Englishman determined to make a
desperate effort to escape from them,
Exerting all his strength, he strove to free himself.
But he soon found it to be utterly useless. The more
he struggled, the tighter the clutch became about his
body.
f ‘And Joe! The delicate, little fellow was so badly
T1%’l‘.t(‘nC(l at his mysterious capture that he fainted.
h’ n a very few minutes ‘lack beheld a ligylit ahead of
Em, and in a short space of time he was able to see about
him fairly well.
T “- w ' .
Vt he-Tl he fo.m<l that his captors were such little fellows,
he ajrain made a wild effort to free hifngglf
,’.ut. as before. it was of no avail. '
lack concluded not to waste his strength any further
butxto wait for a more fitting opportunity: '
tl I ’)0lltftel'1’IT!1Il1ll(’S after he reached this conclusion.
ie cuar s came to a halt, and he was deposited upon the
pjroiiiitl.
‘ Bllt l><’f0FC lit‘ was allowed to rise to his feet his hands
it ere securely tied behind him.
-loo‘ who had not Yet 1'eC0"ered from his faint was also
securely bound. ’ T i
, 1 , 7 . ‘
Jackfounc. that he was in a small cave, which appeared
to be situated in a vast cavern
I f ' ' ' .
thiSnthgigtxafolEazljgllglgri 113?‘? Wlas burnmtz. and around
‘ ‘-" 1% Um t iere were seated
Th - T , '
solelve focftlrtllhze Sofonl Ea“ that.the “"3 “'35 r9“’l"'e‘l
‘ V . 0 .09 and himself, for the dwarfs
all remained outside near the fire
to
' -s ii 0 :16 c v -‘
to See what the‘, were doingaye and watched his captors
In a few minutes oe i -
side of his friend. J Came to hlmself’ and crept to me
aek e. l ' ‘ ' -
theln Saidyp ained their situation as best he could, and
"There is one tliina in .
haven't taken our “wagons fsglg lfzszvor. and that is they.
behind me, Joe, and see if you can’t
that hold my hands t0oretHcr
you free then; and we wil
. I want you to crawl
gnaw loose the bonds
If YOLI can do I will set
1 the“ Open fire on these little
“All right " replied the b0 “ ‘
' ' I 11 do ”
He cre t b h’ d ‘M my best-
him whiclgheefO1l?n(1l:lElf]j;1):l1bi::‘%n the task allotted to
it-h‘i(I‘liabr.)i;1ri;l ttlp-m‘“,em of lenzhi-L‘ cuh one. as the thongs
. e nw ie v . ,
rt cmisiiltation Kin( “r:r;f1Sr'd“hO had.eV1de.mlY been ll0ldlllg
Mme m thdr “Ct afd beato tll'.t?ll" prisoners, suddenly
their (,m.(.,, mnqmw ban Slnfilng a weird chant in
The mm'wu u - V -
spot, and iii tiixlliiiiiiiilfgntiiiigtlicii Came hurrvvillg to the
"“‘I‘:]t 1"’ full)’ live hundred C()I11‘,IT:3Lg:1.rl16e(l1 aabsotlfough there
' ie nois 1w , ' “-
mournful. very 1f)“d' bl“ it was
:uA’l1Zll do you suppose th 8 howling of a dog.
H0!‘-IQ far ?" whispered Joe 9)’ are making that awful
for 21 moniem, ’ restmg from his gnawing task